When the Cheering Stopped by Smith Gene;

Author:Smith, Gene;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2016-06-28T04:00:00+00:00

* With what success is another question. Joseph C. Grew found his work as Minister to Denmark difficult because of the State Department’s lack of interest in what he was doing and the paucity of orders about what he should do. All questions and appeals to Washington were left unanswered. “The only constructive criticism I received was: ‘Don’t send in too much stuff.’”

11

There were old canal streams in the countryside only fifteen miles out of Washington, and honeysuckle and scattered pines. Along the Conduit Road running toward Great Falls there were reservoirs and hills thick with trees. Rural Virginia was beautiful in the summer, and along the roads country children waited for his slow-moving car; when it came into sight they ran up flags and yelled. One curly-headed little boy, hardly more than a toddler, always had the same greeting: a tiny hand held up in salute and a piping “Hi, Wilson!” For long hours that summer he was driven in the solitary hills and along the Potomac, and always in almost complete silence. He rarely spoke; he was almost totally mute. He did not display interest in the campaign being fought to determine whether Cox or Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio was to be his successor, and when Tumulty suggested he make some effort to aid Cox, he replied that he would do it in his own time and in his own way. He ended by letting months go by before he did anything at all.

But who he was and what he was dominated the forthcoming election. “The issue which the American people are going to vote upon,” said ex-President Taft, “no matter what Mr. Cox wishes, Mr. Wilson wishes, Mr. Lodge wishes, or Mr. Harding wishes, is whether they approve the Administration of Mr. Wilson.” Harding expressed it perfectly, had it just right, when he said that what the United States wanted was no more parades, no heroics—“return to ‘normalcy.’”*

It was obvious to all the world that the Republicans were going to win this election, that the country was going to throw out the Democrats with their taxes and war and crusading for the world’s good, but the President could not see that this was so. Secretary Daniels remarked that “of course” Cox had no chance, and the President incredulously asked, “Do you mean it is possible that the American people would elect Harding?” “It is not only possible,” Daniels said, “but they are going to do it.” The President flared out, “Daniels, you haven’t enough faith in the people!” Postmaster General Burleson ventured to predict that Cox would take the worst beating in years, and the President cried, “Burleson, shut up! You are a pessimist!” Stockton Axson, Ellen’s brother, tried to raise the subject of possible defeat several times, but the President would not listen. “You don’t understand the American people,” he said, a sick old man intoning through white lips that it was out of the question that the nation would turn down the candidate who stood for the League of Nations, for the Right, for Truth.

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